COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Robert Hendricks, 16, of Rocky River and Mack Pairan, 13, of LKansas Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 17th Annual National Awards Programoveland today were named Ohios top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Communit...
Molly Rockefeller, 18, of Topeka, Kan., a senior at Washburn Rural High School, raised $6,500 to help purchase 1,000 LifeStraws for Haitian children who do not have access to clean drinking water. Molly enlisted the help of many Interact Clubs and other school groups to help raise the money to fund the purchase of LifeStraws, a straw-like device with a built-in filter that eliminates bacteria and waterborne disease.
In addition, the program judges recognized four other Kansas students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion:
Kansas Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 17th Annual National Awards Program,TOPEKA, Kan.--()--Saajan Bhakta, 17, of Wichita and Grace Schram, 13, of Leawood today were named Kansas top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Saajan was nominated by Northwest High School in Wichita, and Grace was nominated by Leawood Middle School in Leawood. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 17th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Since Gracie had been singing and writing music since early childhood, she decided to make a CD of original songs and sell them to mily members and friends. Her goal was to raise $1,000 enough to build a fish pond in Africa. She searched the Internet for information on how to make a CD, and then, with the help of mily and friends, found a recording studio that would give her a discount on studio time. Six months later, her finished product, Showers from God, was released. She then began singing at churches and community events to sell her CD and publicize her cause. Today, thanks to Gracies efforts, two villages in South Africa and Malawi now have a sustainable food and revenue source, and orphans in a small Haitian town near Port au Prince have a roof over their heads. Gracie hopes to build another home for orphans with the proceeds from a second CD she has just released.
Danielle Newton, 18, of Linn Valley, Kan., a senior at Prairie View High School in La Cygne, challenged herself to learn how to read and write Braille and, as a result, was asked to assist a blind student who transferred to her school a year after Danielle began her Braille journey. In addition to teaching the student Braille, something she had never learned before, Danielle also helped prepare the classrooms for the student and helped the girl learn how to navigate the hallways using a cane -- also a skill the student had not yet been taught.
Kenneth Kays, 18, of Weir, Kan., a senior at St. Marys-Colgan Junior/Senior High School in Pittsburg, created and taught a preschool agriculture education program, PreK Agricultural Literacy, for more than 1,500 preschoolers attending an early care educational center in an impoverished areas. In addition to writing lesson plans, teaching, and coordinating visits with real rm animals, Kenneth also developed an instructional box for preschool teachers in a 16-county area of eastern Kansas to teach the program to their students.
For information on all of this years Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visitspirit.prudential.comor
Through their selfless acts of service, these award recipients have greatly improved the lives of others, said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. We hope their stories and their dedication inspire other young people to do the same.
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Suzanne Luff, 18, of Colorado Springs and Christina Bear, 14, of Golden today were named Colorados top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community ...
We are so pleased to celebrate these student volunteers, said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. Its important to highlight them as powerful examples of how young people can make a difference.
Grace, an eighth-grader at Leawood Middle School, recorded and sold copies of a CD that raised more than $20,000 to build two fish ponds in Africa and a home for 12 orphaned boys in Haiti. When she was 10 years old, the pastor of Gracies church returned from a mission trip to Africa with videos and pictures of children who had lost their parents to AIDS. These kids had no food, no clean water, no parents, she said. They had nothing. I knew when I left that Sunday that I had to do something to help them.
Wichita and Leawood students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions and trip to nations capital
As State Honorees, Saajan and Grace each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten owashburn technical schoolf them will be named Americas top youth volunteers for 2012 at that time.
HONOLULU--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Candonino Agusen, 16, of Kailua-Kona and Jackson Button, 13, of Waialua today were named Hawaiis top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community ...
Saajan hosted information seminars in his community about world poverty to attract volunteers. More than $8,000 was then raised through candy sales, restaurant events and donation drives. On a recent trip to India, Saajan personally delivered more than 500 blankets and other necessities to the poor and arranged for PovSolve to sponsor feeding sessions for more than 700 hungry Indians. In addition, Saajans group has helped feed hundreds of poor Kansans at a local homeless shelter. It is amazing how much your heart can light up when you see the joy on someones ce that you are helping, said Saajan.
Zach Haney, 16, of Topeka, Kan., a sophomore at Shawnee Heights High School in Tecumseh, created Teens Taking Action in 2010 and kicked off the service group with a carnival to benefit the milies living at the Topeka Rescue Mission, now an annual event. Zach, who organizes the volunteers, coordinates the projects and works with community groups, also runs clothing drives for the Mission and book drives to support schools affected by Hurricane Katrina.
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Honors also bestowed on youth volunteers in Topeka, Weir and Linn Valley
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. All public and private middle level and high schools in the country, as well as all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award. More than 5,000 Local Honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.
NASSP is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The association provides research-based professional development and resources, networking and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development as well, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society and National Association of Student Councils. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit
Editors: Graphics depicting the award programs logo and medallions may be downloaded fromspirit.prudential.com.
While in Washington, D.C., the 102 State Honorees one middle level and one high school student from each state and the District of Columbia will tour the capitals landmarks, attend a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History, and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. In addition, 10 of them five middle level and five high school students will be named National Honorees on May 7. These honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice.
Since the program began in 1995, more than 100,000 young volunteers nationwide have been honored by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards at the local, state or national level. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland and India. In addition to granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program also distributes Presidents Volunteer Service Awards to qualifying Local Honorees on behalf of President Barack Obama.
Saajan, a senior at Northwest High School, co-founded a nonprofit organization called PovSolve to increase awareness of poverty in India and to raise money to alleviate the suffering of the poor in both India and Wichita. Saajan was moved to take action while on a visit to India, where he encountered a poor woman holding a small child. The child was barely clothed and in dire need of food. The experience, he said, broke his heart. She was sitting there watching her child suffer because she couldnt do anything about it.
